The process for the formation of three-dimensional components has been known for a long time.
For example, European Patent EP 0 431 924 B1 describes a process for the manufacture of three-dimensional objects from computer data. It describes a particulate material that can be deposited in a thin layer on a platform and selectively printed with a binder using a print head. The printed area is bonded and sets under the influence of the binder. The platform is lowered by the thickness of one layer and a new layer of particulate material is spread and is also bonded. These steps are repeated until a given height is achieved. A three-dimensional object is created from the printed and bonded areas. The object, which is embedded in loose particulate material, is released from the platform, then removed from the loose particulate material.
It is observed that objects formed by this process have been shown to have poor dimensional stability due to uneven hardening and therefore the tolerances in the formed components are relatively high.